doi: 10:5191/jiaee.2013.20204
Farmer Innovativeness and Hybrid Maize Diffusion in Thailand
Sutthiporn Poolsawas
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Faculty of Economics, Kasetsart University
Bangkok 10900 Thailand
Center of Advanced Studies for Agriculture and Food
KU Institute for Advanced Studies, Kasetsart University: (CASAF, NRU-KU)
Bangkok 10900 Thailand
Tel:+662-5798547
Fax: +662-9428047
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Orachos Napasintuwong
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Faculty of Economics, Kasetsart University
Bangkok 10900 Thailand
Center of Advanced Studies for Agriculture and Food
KU Institute for Advanced Studies, Kasetsart University: (CASAF, NRU-KU)
Bangkok 10900 Thailand
Tel:+662-5798547
Fax: +662-9428047
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Abstract
Hybrid maize in Thailand is one example of successful technology dissemination in a developing country. The first hybrid maize variety was released in 1982 by a public research institute, but did not become rapidly adopted until the privatization of the seed market in the early 1990s. Previous studies on the adoption of hybrid maize in Thailand mainly analyzed factors influencing the adoption decision, but none evaluated the timing of the adoption process. This study reveals the diffusion pattern of hybrid maize varieties and categorizes farmers by the time of adoption. It was hypothesized that different categories of farmers would differ in their innovativeness. The results show that the distribution of hybrid maize adoption in Thailand approaches a normal distribution consistent with the literature. Younger and less educated farmers with large households and farm size tended to adopt hybrid maize faster than others. Furthermore, social activities, extension services, private company promotion programs and access to information on hybrid varieties played important roles in the adoption lag.
Keywords: Technology Diffusion, Technology Adoption, Hybrid Maize, Innovativeness, Communication Channels
 Download | [ ] | 284 kB |